


Magical Defence High School Club: Operation Voltron!!!

by mongoose_bite



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Magical Girls, First Kiss, Friendship, Humor, Multi, ambiguously gendered pidge, background implied shiro/keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2017-03-23
Packaged: 2018-10-06 21:44:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10345179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mongoose_bite/pseuds/mongoose_bite
Summary: When Lance transfers to Japan as part of a cultural exchange program, he's hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the magical defenders in action. He can't believe his luck when on the evening of his arrival the famous magical girl Space Princess Altea crashes right into his arms!As if that's not enough, it turns out his school has a magical defence program all of its own. Will this be the year all his dreams come true?





	1. Lucky

**Author's Note:**

> I only found out about Alluralance Week a couple of weeks ago, so I think this is a bit rushed, over all, but I hope you enjoy it regardless. It's probably as close to crack as I'm ever likely to write.

The sky glowed, and despite the many miles he’d covered since that morning, Lance wasn't tired at all. The flight had been uneventful, the directions he’d been given clear and accurate, and none of his luggage had gone missing. The trains had run on time, and his host family had been waiting for him, all smiles, at the station.

The Shiroganes had even served steak and chips for dinner, presumably to help make him feel at home. Lance was definitely looking forward to some real Japanese home cooking, but he was kind of touched.

The Shiroganes had one child, Takashi, who was a couple of years older than Lance and was attending his school as a senior. He shook Lance's hand with a firm grip and welcomed him sincerely into the family and complimented him on his Japanese. Lance only had to look at him to guess he was a straight-A student, and he wasn't surprised to learn he was on the basketball team.

“They should make you captain,” Lance said, gazing up at him and feeling unfairly weedy and undersized.

“Ah, well, they asked me,” Takashi said, looking a bit embarrassed. “But I am already president of a club, and it's against the rules to be in charge of two.”

“I see.”

If it weren't for the fact that Takashi (everyone calls me Shiro at school) was such a nice and encouraging person he'd be absolutely unbearable, Lance thought. As it was, it kind of depressed him a little; he bet Shiro got top marks in everything effortlessly and probably had girls lining up to ask him out. Shiro had assumed his deflated air was jetlag, and insisted he get some rest before school tomorrow. If he had any trouble with anything, he only need ask.

“Are there any cute girls at our school?”

“Um. I guess? All girls are cute, aren’t they?”

“Are they?” Maybe this guy was some sort of social shut-in, Lance thought. Maybe _he’d_ have to show him how it’s done.

“To be honest, I prefer guys,” Shiro said, smiling apologetically.

“Oh. Well, never mind then.” At least Shiro wasn’t going to be competition.

Lance was shown to a guest room on the second floor, and although it was about half the size of his room back home he wasn't sharing it with his brother so it evened out. More than evened out. He was a bit disappointed he had an ordinary bed rather than a futon, but otherwise it was exactly as he'd hoped. He didn't bother unpacking more than his laptop and setting it up to call home, knowing his family would make him regret it if he didn't.

Skype kept hanging, but he thought the got the gist of his day across; everything went fine and of course he missed everyone terribly. The latter was a filthy lie as he hadn’t had time to miss anyone and he was definitely enjoying a room of his own. His duty done, he leaned out the window and stared over the suburb towards the city, the light reflecting off the clouds above. He couldn't believe he was really here; it felt like a dream. The only way it could be improved was if he actually got to see one of the magical girls in action.

Ever since he'd been small, Lance had been fascinated by the defenders. He'd watch them on TV, copy their poses. You could say he was a bit of a fanboy, but they were all so strong and beautiful, who wouldn't be? It comforted him to know that they were out there, fighting the forces of darkness.

Of course, he appreciated the work the superheroes back home put in, but there was something special about the magical girls.

As he gazed at the city he saw a streak of light between the buildings and he blinked, lifting his chin off his hand. Had he imagined it?

There it was again, and this time it was accompanied by a burst of purple light that definitely wasn't a firework.

“Oh my god, it's happening,” he breathed. He couldn't believe how lucky he was. He watched the battle, knowing he could get a better look if he saw it on television, but somehow he couldn't tear his eyes away.

He heard the fizzing pop of magical explosions and he realised the fight was coming in his direction. He half turned to call Shiro to watch, and then checked himself. Maybe he saw this sort of thing all the time, and Lance would look like an idiot for getting excited about it. Just a foreign fanboy.

Besides, he'd put money on Shiro being busy studying.

Instead he grabbed his phone and hurried downstairs to get his shoes. Mister Shirogane had given him his own key and hadn't discussed anything like a curfew, so technically he wasn't breaking any rules as he slipped out, shutting the door behind him and lacing up his sneakers with fingers made clumsy with haste. He half expected the fight would be over by the time he got out there, and he left at a jog, his neck craned to look at the sky.

He didn't have to wonder which way to go; he could follow the sounds of battle easily enough. He could hear official announcements on the loudspeakers too, but they were in Japanese and he was too excited to try and translate them for now.

The streets were empty, even of traffic.

He rounded a corner and skidded to a halt as he saw a great purple beast get flung into the side of a building, sending shattered glass cascading down into the street as it roared in pain. Lance yelped and ducked back around the corner again; that was dangerous.

He clung to the side of the building and risked peeking out.

“Take that!” someone said decisively, in a clear voice.

Lance looked up.

And there she was; he recognised her instantly. Space Princess Altea. Lance forgot to even take a photograph as he gaped up at her, her eyes glowing behind her mask. She was everything he'd ever imagined, she looked just like she had on TV; her white hair cascading down her back as she floated in the air, her staff in her hands. Her costume glittered in shades white and pink, a black skirt swirling about her legs, and a cloak of stars draped across her shoulders. The gems hanging from her ears shone, as did the buckles of her knee-high white boots.

“And don't come back!” she declared, as the creature feebly struggled to disentangle itself from the side of the building. She raised her staff above her head for the killing blow.

Lance didn't have time to shout a warning as a dark figure leaped off a nearby building, and fired something directly into the Princess's back while she was distracted.

Lance didn't have time to think. As Princess Altea tumbled from the sky with a cry of surprise he abandoned his hiding spot and ran, his feet thudding on the pavement, his arms outstretched.

He didn't catch her. Not really. But she did land on top of him in a tangle of gauzy material, feather-light hair, and surprisingly solid limbs and he managed to grab her and steady them before they both toppled to the ground. Her clothes were slightly singed; he could smell the burning, but also the sweet, slightly fruity smell of her shampoo; he was sure he was going to spend far too long in the beauty isle of the supermarket trying to identify it later. If he survived, that is.

“Ugh,” she said, lifting her head, shaking her bangs out of her eyes.

Her incredible, opaline eyes. Lance stared into her masked face, utterly unable to speak.

“Who are you?” she asked. Her eyelashes were so _long_ , he thought.

“Um.” What was his name again? “I'm Lance. And you're-”

“In the middle of a fight!” She ducked out of his arms and raised her staff just as the dark figure attacked again. He hadn't fired anything, Lance realised; that was his arm he’d struck her with, his fist connected to his shoulder by purple lightning. His one eye glittered as the Princess blocked his attack. “Civilians shouldn't be here!” she called over her shoulder. “Run!”

Lance ran. He wasn’t stupid. Well, not _that_ stupid.

He didn't get far, as seconds later something wrapped around his legs and pulled him off his feet. He yelled as he was swung through the air upside down, his arms flailing.

“Let him go!” Princess Atlea yelled. “Quintessence Strike!”

He felt and heard the impact of her attack, and he fell to the ground with a thud as his legs were released, landing on his hands and knees. He didn't look back, instead taking off again. He was a liability now and he knew it; a potential hostage.

He skidded around the corner and hid behind a parked car, listening to the sounds of battle, his heart pounding. When a chunk of masonry landed in the street hard enough to crack the bitumen he wiggled under the car, and waited for it all to be over.

Silence had fallen for a while when he heard footsteps.

“Lance?”

He could see the Princess's white boots and the glittery edge of her cloak, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“I'm here,” he said, crawling out from under the car.

“Let me help.” He looked up to see an elegant, long-fingered hand in a black glove. He took it, and Princess Altea helped him to his feet. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. I mean, uh, of course! It would take more than that to bother me.” He tried to put on a brave face. “Can I have your autog- I mean, are you alright, Princess?”

“I've had worse,” she said, flicking some dust off her sleeve. She held out her hand and her staff disappeared into it. “He'll be back, I fear, but not for a little while.” She smiled, slightly out of breath and her hair messed up a little, but glorious in victory still.

“Great! That's uh.” He'd never actually planned for a conversation like this. What do you _say_ to someone who just saved your life (after you endangered it in the first place?)

“You know that was very brave of you to run in like that,” she said. “You should consider joining magical defence yourself.”

“Seriously?” His voice cracked and he coughed to hide it.

“Well.” She shrugged. “It's not for everyone. But you might have what it takes. Are you a high school student?”

“Yeah.”

“Then all you need to do is sign up. Not everyone can fight at this level, but you can do your bit, you know?”

Lance didn't know what to say. Under her gaze he would have done almost anything, he thought. All he could do was nod.

The Princess told him to be careful and waved at him before soaring up into the sky. He watched her as long as he could and then he walked home, wondering how he was ever going to get to sleep now. He'd been in the country less than twelve hours and it was already amazing.

He did a little dance to himself as he walked up the driveway to the Shirogane house, barely feeling the sting in his knees. He'd met Space Princess Altea! She called him _brave_. How lucky could you get?

 


	2. Thirsty

 

The next morning Shiro walked with Lance to school. For some reason he opted to wear the traditional gakuran buttoned up to his neck, his uniform utterly pristine down to his newly-shined shoes. Lance secretly decided he was kind of weird.

There was novelty in having to wear a uniform, but Lance was determined to express his individuality as well, and he wore his tie loosened and his coat unbuttoned, strolling in with his hands in his pockets. He wasn’t a nerd like Shiro, he was way cooler.

Literally; wasn't he hot in that thing?

As they drew closer to school the streets filled with other students, and many waved or called out to Shiro in a friendly sort of way.

And everywhere Lance looked there were girls. Girls in pleated skirts and knee-high socks, and even one or two wearing stockings. This year, he thought, I want to get myself a cute girlfriend.

His plan, such as it was, was to ask every girl out until one said yes. It hadn’t worked so well back home, but now he had the air of mystery that cloaked every transfer student, or so he hoped, and that would ideally make him irresistible.

“Shiro!” someone called, and Lance abandoned his plan entirely.

She was tall and slender, with dark brown skin and white hair piled up in a neat bun on top of her head, and eyes the colour of the sea. It was as if every other human being had ceased to exist as she walked towards them, a smile on her lips and her bag on her back.

“Allura,” Shiro said, smiling easily while Lance stared at her. “What can I help you with? She's the student council president,” he said as an aside to Lance.

That made her a senior too, and Lance tried to look taller and older.

“There’s a meeting before class for all the club presidents in the student council room.”

“Got it. Oh, Allura, this is Lance, he’s from Cuba, and he's staying with my family this year.”

“Hello Lance,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you. I hope you have a great year with us.”

“Charmed,” Lance said, holding out his hand. When she took it he bent over it, pressing his lips lightly to her knuckle. Even her nails were painted a sparkly blue colour.

“Oh!” Her eyes widened in shock. Heh, being a foreigner had some perks at least.

“Are you doing anything later?” he asked. He was aware of Shiro looking at him with raised eyebrows, but he wasn’t interrupting at least.

“Of course I am. We’re holding stalls for all the clubs, and the student council of course. You should think about joining one.”

“Hey, you can join mine,” Shiro said, clapping him on the shoulder. “A whole bunch of our members graduated last year and we’re kind of down to, uh.”

Allura raised an eyebrow.

“Two,” Shiro admitted.

“Damn.” What kind of awful club must it be if even Shiro’s personality couldn’t attract more members, Lance wondered. “Well, I’ll think about it.” Time to make an escape. “I should find out what class I’m in, and you know, stuff. I’ll see you around, Shiro. And it was an absolute _pleasure_ to meet you,” he winked at Allura.

He spent some time with the Vice Principal, going over his schedule and what he might expect from his new school, and was given directions to his class. He was introduced, and he bowed to his classmates before giving them a grin.

He was gonna make so many friends.

He was directed to sit next to a big guy named Hunk, who didn’t look Japanese at all.

“Are you a transfer student too?” Lance whispered to him, when the teacher turned back to the board.

“Naw, but my family’s Samoan. Pidge is a transfer though.” Hunk pointed to a short guy with glasses who was playing a hand-held game under the desk while the teacher talked.

During the first recess, Lance decided to break the ice by relating his adventures with Space Princess Altea the night before.

“And then I ran forward and caught her before she hit the ground, wrapping her in my arms-”

“Did this really happen?” Pidge asked, straddling his chair and regarding Lance sceptically.

“Hell yes it happened!”

“Did you get a photo?” Hunk asked.

“Well, no.”

“What about an autograph?”

“I was gonna ask her!”

“So you’ve got no proof.” The guy who’d spoken was wearing a gakuran like Shiro’s but his was unbuttoned, and he lounged in his chair, returning Lance’s offended look with a flat stare. He’s probably some sort of delinquent, Lance thought; he’d spent the entire morning staring out the window, his chin in his hand. And his haircut made him look like a yakuza.

“I have too! Look at my knees,” he started to roll his trouser legs up.

“That doesn’t prove anything,” Pidge said. “Is that why you came to Japan? To see magical girls?”

“Well, no, not entirely. I like non-magical girls too.” This didn't sound cool at all, and he went on the attack instead. “Why are _you_ here then?”

“I wanna work in Kojima-sensei’s studio,” Pidge said. “Going to school here is a good place to start.”

“Seriously? That’s pretty cool.”

Pidge grinned. “I know, right?”

“Sooooo,” Lance said, drawing aimless patterns on his desk with his finger. “Do you guys know anything about Allura?”

“Other than she’s the student council president, and a member of the girls’ judo team, and the only person to regularly get higher marks than Shiro, and her dad owns a company so she’s super rich, nope, nothing,” Hunk said.

Lance sighed deeply. “No, what I mean is, does she have a boyfriend or anything?”

“She’s out of your league, transfer kid.”

“Shut up, mullet. So, does she?”

“Well, everyone kind of expected she'd end up dating Shiro, right?” Hunk said. “I mean, they'd be the golden couple. But Shiro-”

“Likes guys, I know,” Lance said.

They jumped at the sudden crash as the delinquent tipped his chair a bit too far back and went over backwards. He blinked at them from his position on the floor for a few moments, before scowling and righting himself and his chair and frowning out the window again.

What the hell was his problem? Whatever.

What made it worse was that he might be right; by every metric, Allura was out of Lance's league. Except, and the words of Space Princess Altea came back to him, he was brave, and maybe he should sign up for magical defence. Fighting the forces of evil would impress anyone, right? Even Shiro couldn't compete with that.

“Hey, are you guys gonna sign up for any clubs?” Lance asked.

Hunk sighed, “I wish they had a cooking club.”

“I dunno,” Pidge said. “I don’t want anything that takes up too much time. But it does look good if you do something. It couldn't hurt to see what's there.”

During lunchtime they wandered around the stalls all the clubs had set up in the gym. There were a surprising number; nerdy things like the book club and the chemistry club, a solid handful of sports clubs, and various other more esoteric groups. And the student council, of course.

Allura was at the student council stall, talking eagerly to everyone who stopped at it.

“If you’re so keen on her why don't you just join the student council then?” Pidge asked. “Then you could see her every meeting.”

“Because then she'd be my superior and a relationship wouldn't be appropriate,” Lance said.

“Someone's thirsty,” Hunk said, while Pidge snorted derisively.

“You could be a little more supportive,” Lance said. “Speaking of supportive. Where's Shiro's club anyway?”

“Over there,” Hunk said, pointing to a little stall. There were only two people at it, one of them Shiro himself.

“What's the delinquent doing there?” Lance asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Keith's not a delinquent; he's top of our class,” Pidge told him. “Even though he skips a lot of school.”

“Oh.” Lance didn’t think that was very fair He got good marks too, but he had to work at them. “Well, let's see what it's about.”

Shiro greeted them with a smile when they walked up.

“Hey guys. Interested in joining the magical defence club?”

“Wait seriously? You're a magical defender?” Lance asked, his eyes widening.

“Well, no, it's more like, we support them.”

“Mostly we pick up trash,” Keith said. “And chase down vandals or people who try and steal shit.”

“Oh.” Bor-ring. And he'd had his hopes up for a moment too.

The others seemed more enthusiastic.

“That doesn't sound like it would take up too much time,” Pidge said thoughtfully. “This sort of club always looks good on a resume.”

“And hey we can stake out the school overnight for vandals sometimes,” Hunk said. “Bring some snacks, just chill, and then bam! We catch them. If they exist. And if not, I get an evening without constant 'Hunk, do you homework,' 'Hunk, you need to study more' 'Hunk, help your sisters with her homework.' 'Hunk, did you eat all the chocolate again.'”

“Uhh, if you like,” Shiro said, clearly keen to sign them up.

Why Keith was a member in the first place mystified Lance, but even he smiled. “That's the spirit.”

“What about you, Lance?” Shiro asked.

“I'm gonna, uh, I haven't seen the stalls on this side yet.”

Lance wandered off by himself. The defence club sounded lame as hell. Maybe he should just join a club with a lot of cute girls in it and be done with it. He found a willing audience for his description of Altea's costume at the sewing club at least.

He glanced over at the student council stall at the same moment Allura looked in his direction. Her face brightened in a smile, and she raised her arm to wave. Lance's heart thumped; she remembered him! She recognised him!

He waved back, just as several senior girls walked past him and called out to Allura, hurrying over to greet her cheerfully.

The warmth that was blooming in Lance's chest abruptly disappeared, as he realised she hadn't been waving at him. The girls at the sewing club stall giggled at him.

“Heh, my mistake,” he said, feeling dumb.

Maybe he wouldn't join anything, he thought sourly, as he trudged outside. What was the point? She was never going to notice him.

 


	3. Colourful

Lance relaxed a bit once he was outside. He still didn’t know his way around the school very well yet, and he wandered aimlessly around the edge of the oval, feeling a bit homesick for the first time.

He halted when he realised there was a cow in the middle of the sports field. He glanced around, but no one was about, everyone still milling about the stalls inside.

“Huh, weird,” he said. The cow had a collar and a bell, and it was peacefully nibbling at the grass. Was this normal? Maybe it was a school mascot or something. Lance wandered over, wondering if it was friendly.

It looked at him as he approached with calm, placid brown eyes.

“Hey, uh, cow,” Lance said, stretching out his hand in what he hoped was a friendly way.

The cow stretched out its muzzle and dragged a big, pink tongue across Lance’s palm. Kind of gross. Kind of tickled too.

“My name is Kaltenecker,” the cow said. “And you taste blue.”

“Argh!” Lance said, snatching his hand back and looking around to see if anyone was there to laugh at his reaction. Was someone playing a joke on him? “Okay real funny,” he said. “Where’s the speaker? I bet its in the collar.”

He stepped up and Kaltenecker (if that was truly the creature’s name) didn’t object as Lance examined the collar. It seemed like a perfectly ordinary collar and bell.

“I’ve been looking for you,” the cow said.

“Uh huh.”

“I am a magical companion,” the cow explained. “It’s from creatures like me that the magical defenders obtain their powers.”

Well, that bit was sort of true, Lance knew, but he didn’t quite believe it.

“You want me to be a magical boy?” he asked.

“Not just you. I hold the key to the power known as Voltron, and I need to gather five worthy individuals to wield it.”

“Can you prove any of this?” Lance asked.

“That’s really not an appropriate attitude,” Kaltenecker said. “But consider this; I'm a talking cow.”

Lance supposed it had a point.

“First you must prove yourself worthy; travel far, search widely, trust your instincts and find the other four who are capable of wielding this power. That will be your quest.”

“Okaaay, so, I just bring them back here?” He glanced at his watch. “Crap, lunchtime’s nearly over. Okay I’ll meet you here after school.”

“But-”

“If you’re the real deal, you picked the right guy, and if you’re fake, I’m gonna bring four other guys to help me kick your arse,” he declared as he turned and ran off, back towards the gymnasium.

The stalls were starting to pack up, and he weaved his way through the crowd, hoping he wasn’t too late.

“Shiro!” he called. “Wait.” He skidded to a halt in front of Shiro’s stall. “I’m signing up,” he said, slamming his hands down on the table.

“That’s great, Lance,” Shiro said, handing him a pen.

“What made you change your mind?” Keith asked.

“You’d think I was an idiot if I told you,” he said.

“What if we already think you’re an idiot?” Pidge asked. “Would you tell us then?”

“Okay, I’ve joined. And we gotta hold our first meeting this afternoon.”

“Why?”

“Trust me. Have I ever let you down?”

“We met you like, four hours ago,” Hunk pointed out. “But I’m game!”

That afternoon the five of them gathered on the oval, and absolutely nothing happened. While the others flopped on the grass, Lance paced up and down.

“There are too many other people around,” Lance said. In the intervening hours he’d decided that he really, really wanted Kaltenecker to be telling the truth; this could be the greatest thing that ever happened to him.

He half expected the others to give up and leave, but Pidge just played his game and Shiro took out a textbook while Keith and Hunk went to raid the vending machines. It was kind of weird being taken so seriously.

Kind of good, too.

As the sun sank, the school yard emptied, and the sky turned gold and pink. They were sitting in a circle eating snacks when Kaltenecker returned.

“There!” Lance pointed, as the cow strode solemnly across the grass. “You guys can see it too, right?”

“What’s a cow doing here?” Keith asked.

“I see you have completed your quest,” Kaltenecker said, as the others exclaimed in surprise. “They must be tested first.”

“What is going on?” Shiro asked.

“We’re gonna be magical defenders!” Lance said. “Is this cool or what?”

“Uh, I dunno I’m really cut out for like, fighting,” Hunk said.

“What are you talking about, my man? Look at those beefy arms. Honestly, if anyone’s not cut out for it, it’s Pidge,” Lance said.

“Oi!” Pidge scowled at him.

“What sort of test?” Keith asked calmly, looking like he was prepared to fight right then and there, stance balanced, his hands curled into loose fists at his sides.

“Taste test,” Kaltenecker said, approaching Keith and dragging its big rubbery tongue across his cheek.

“Erk!”

“Mm, definitely red.”

Everyone else got tasted too, and apparently that was all it took.

“So what’s the deal with all these colours?” Lance asked as the others wiped cow spit off themselves.

“They are the five colours that form Voltron, lead by black.”

“Hey, that’s Shiro! Why can’t I be in charge?” Lance asked.

“I am the club president,” Shiro pointed out.

“He tastes black,” Kaltenecker said. “Don’t question it. Are you ready to receive your powers and become paladins of Voltron?”

“I was born ready!” Lance declared.

“Then get ready to accept these bayards-”

“What’s a bayard?”

“I said don’t question it.” Kaltenecker raised its horned head to the sky and five points of light, like falling stars, resolved themselves into a set of objects, the blue one dropping neatly into Lance’s hand. It felt warm, glowing gently.

“Cool,” Pidge said, as they examined them. “What do we do with them?”

“Wait for a situation where they are needed, of course.”

“I think I can arrange that.”

Lance knew that voice.

They gasped as Space Princess Altea floated above them, her hair rippling slightly in the evening breeze.

“Hello, Paladins of Voltron,” she said. “And welcome. Who’s up for a little friendly sparring?” she asked, summoning her staff.

Despite himself, Lance looked to Shiro.

“It would be sensible to get some practice in first,” he said. Shiro raised his bayard. “It’s time. Summon the power of Voltron!”

Lance followed suit, and he wasn't really prepared for what happened next. The world disappeared in a blizzard of glowing blue lights swirling around him and he felt his hair ruffle dramatically although he didn't feel breeze. He did feel distressingly naked however, and he saw his uniform evaporate in a burst of glowing light. Before he could anything other than narrow his eyes against the glare he felt cloth draping itself around him, tightening and flattening itself across his skin and around his limbs. The bayard hummed in his hand, and when he swung it into view again, it had transformed into a sweet looking gun.

He didn't realise he'd been floating in the air until his feet touched the ground.

“Whoa.” He was wearing a suit, of sorts, white and black and blue, impossibly elegant, he thought, just a hint of sparkle in the black. The others matched him almost perfectly, save for the colour of their trims, also.

“Pidge why are you wearing a skirt?” Lance asked.

“Are you saying I can't wear a skirt?” Pidge asked, brandishing his bayard, which hadn't really changed in shape but now glowed and crackled alarmingly.

“Uh. Nope. You look good!” Nice legs, Lance thought. If you've got it, why not flaunt it?

“We need names, don't we?” Hunk asked. His bayard had turned into a gun much larger than Lance's but size wasn't everything.

“Prince Mysterio,” Lance suggested. “The Angel of Death.” He raised his gun and sighted along it. “The Marquis of Mystery-”

“Blue Paladin,” Shiro said. “We all get consistent, easy-to-remember names so we won't get confused in combat.”

“Aw. That's no fun.”

“Are you ready, paladins?” Princess Altea called. “Hit me with everything you've got!”

“Got it,” Keith said, and before Lance could say something about maybe counting down from three he'd launched himself at the Princess, his sword raised.

She caught the edge of his blade with her staff, deflected his attack and spun around to send him flying with a kick that landed him halfway across the field.

Lance felt a stab of jealousy, even as he winced at the sound Keith made when he hit the grass. Right, let's do this, he thought, and ran in, yelling and firing his weapon.

It wasn't, in hindsight, a great strategy. What did we expect, Lance thought, as he picked himself up from the ground for the fifth time, feeling bruised and battered. The others weren't in much better shape. Shiro and Keith could hold their own at close range for a while, but Princess Altea dodged all of Lance's shots and swept him aside with her staff like he weighed no more than a dead leaf.

Pidge had managed to tangle her up once, but she'd yanked him off his feet, and used his own weapon against him. She was an experienced magical defender, and they were utter noobs, Lance thought.

“We need a better strategy,” Shiro said. “We have to attack her at once.”

On the edge of the field Kaltenecker watched calmly, a row of pastel mice sitting on his head.

“I'm game,” Keith said.

“Keith and I will engage her, Pidge, get ready to trip her if she tries to get away from us. Our ranged attackers split up. She can't dodge from both directions.”

“What if we hit you?” Hunk asked.

“Don't do that,” Shiro said.

“Easier said than done,” Lance said. “Hunk's strategy is just spray and pray.”

“You haven't hit her yet either.”

“Evil won't wait for you to chat,” Princess Altea called, settling into a fighting stance again. She beckoned them with a smile.

She was so cool, Lance thought.

“Lets do this,” Shiro said. “For Voltron! Whatever that is!”

And it almost worked. Harried on all sides, the Princess spun and ducked and weaved and deflected, and Lance waited for a clear shot. She was leaping out of reach of Keith's blade, and finally Lance squeezed the trigger, only to see a black hole open up behind her, and she vanished.

“Wher-”

He tumbled forward as her staff struck him right between the shoulder-blades, sending him staggering off-balance.

“Always be prepared for the unexpected,” she said, and now he was in close combat with her, exactly where he didn't want to be. He blocked her staff with his gun, reflecting that teleporting wasn't really fair.

Evil wasn't going to fight fair, he thought, and he dropped his shoulder and charged her before she could swing again, thumping into her midsection as they both tumbled to the grass.

“Get her, Lance!” Shiro called, as Lance struggled desperately to hold on, feeling her bracing to throw him off.

The air was knocked out of him when Hunk flung himself on top, and he wheezed as the others piled on.

“Did we get her?” Keith asked, probably somewhere close to the top of the pile.

Lance couldn't draw breath to answer.

And then, with a burst of force, they went flying once again. Crap.

Princess Altea lowered her staff.

“I think you're off to a good start, Paladins,” she said. “I look forward to working with you in future.” She glanced at Kaltenecker and the mice. “Yes, of course. I'm needed elsewhere right now. Good luck out there!”

She opened another wormhole, and was gone, leaving the five of them grass-stained and out of breath, staring at empty air.

 


	4. Empathy (Free Day)

 

“I can't make it, I promised my Mom I'd help out this evening,” Hunk said, his voice tinny in Lance's ear. “Will you be okay?”

“We'll have to be,” Lance said.

“Keith's on his way,” Pidge said, snapping his phone closed. “He was on the train when I called though so he'll be a while.”

“Hunk is a no.” Lance tried calling Shiro again, but he was at basketball practice and wouldn't be picking up. “It's just you and me for now.”

They were hunkered down in a shop in the mall, having taken the afternoon off to go look at the latest new release games and play at the arcade. Those plans were on hold now, as the monster staggering down the street roaring and flipping cars sent pedestrians running as the loudspeakers warned civilians to take cover.

Pidge peered out the window at it. “I might be able to trip it up, but its eyes keep firing lasers.”

“Okay. I'll try and shoot them out first. Are you ready?”

Pidge nodded.

“Summon the power of Voltron!” they chorused, and by now Lance was used to the blue light that enveloped him, a comforting presence as his costume fluttered around him.

And then it was time to fight.

In the end Keith saved them, although Lance maintained that he and Pidge had already softened the creature up so much it barely counted.

The clean-up crews were already repairing the damage by the time they transformed back into their school uniforms, and the shops were re-opening for the evening rush hour. They'd saved the day, again, but Lance couldn't muster a lot of enthusiasm.

“I have so much homework,” Lance said. “I should go home and get started on it. We can't even catch a break to take an afternoon off.”

“That's what it means to be a defender,” Keith said.

Lance didn't have the energy to argue. He felt like his life was an endless treadmill of school, study, sleep, and deadly magical combat. Sure they were getting better at it, they functioned more as a team than before, but that just meant they were called out for bigger, more dangerous threats.

They couldn't tell anyone about it. Sometimes Lance had been too exhausted to do his homework, and he had to accept his teacher's chastisement without an excuse. It also meant he couldn't really show off either; he kind of hoped the school would get attacked sometime and he'd just have to defend everyone and everyone would see how cool and awesome he really was.

He scribbled down what he hoped would be an adequate amount of work and went to bed. His clock said nearly three am when Kaltenecker stuck its head through his open window, but it felt like he'd been asleep ten minutes.

“Paladin,” the cow intoned. “You are needed.”

When the fight was over the others made gentle fun of him for still being in his pyjamas, but he honestly didn't care. The next morning the bags under his eyes had bags of their own, and he hoped he'd have enough time on the weekend at least to put on a face-mask.

“Ugh, my youthful good looks,” he said through a mouthful of toothpaste as he squinted at the mirror.

“Hey, hang in there,” Shiro said, honestly not looking any better. “We'll get used to it.”

Lance snuck away during lunchtime, not because he didn't want to hang out with his friends, but because he really needed a nap. He found a secluded spot on the roof beside an air-conditioning unit and nodded off, just for a few minutes.

“There you are.”

Lance blinked his eyes open, and realised with a start that the shadows were much, much longer than they had been when he'd gone to sleep. The school grounds were emptying as people started going home, and Allura was looking down at him, a concerned expression on her face and her hands on her hips.

“Ugh. Oh crap!” He sat up abruptly, although there was nothing to be done about it now. “I didn't mean to cut class!” He gazed up at her. “Please don't report me.”

“I won't,” Allura said.

“Thanks.” He heaved a sigh.

To his surprise, Allura put her bag down next to his. It had cute little sparkly charms hanging from all the zippers, he noticed. She sat down beside him, her long brown legs outstretched.

“Uh. Hi,” he said.

She peered closely at his face, and Lance felt it heat up in response. They were up on the roof. Together. Alone. Could his dreams be about to come true?

“You look awful,” she said. “Are you all right? Are you settling in okay?”

“I, uh. Sure. Of course. Haha.”

She didn't look convinced, frowning and smoothing out a pleat in her skirt. “You slept through all the afternoon bells,” she pointed out. “And if I hadn't woken you, you'd still be sleeping.”

“I'm just.” He wanted to tell her so badly, but it was a secret. “Kind of overwhelmed, I guess. I'm working a lot harder here than I did at home.”

“Are you homesick?”

“I don't have time to be homesick. Ugh, I don't call as much as I should. I feel bad about that. It's more like, everyone seems to handle it better than me, you know? Like they know what they're doing.”

Allura chuckled, “No one knows what they're doing all the time, Lance.”

“Even Shiro? Even you?”

“Especially me,” she said. “You don't have to rush to be perfect, you know? I've made that mistake.”

“You seem perfect to me,” Lance said, surprising himself by being entirely honest.

It seemed to surprise her too. She looked at his face for a long moment, as if trying to decide what he meant.

“I volunteered for all this responsibility,” she said eventually. “So I can't complain, but I want to sometimes.”

“Complain to me, I won't tell anyone.”

“I'm not perfect,” she said. “Sometimes it feels like I'm just keeping my head above water. But you're not alone, Lance. You've got your friends. And your family, even if they're far away.” She bowed her head slightly, and Lance thought she looked kind of sad.

“Yeah, I know. Hey, Allura?”

“Hm?”

“Is it true, that your folks own a company?”

“It's just my dad, but yes.”

“That must be hard.”

“Huh?” She blinked at him, startled.

“I mean, he'd be busy, right? You wouldn't see him much.”

She sighed and curled her knees up, resting her chin on her arms. “He's overseas a lot. I do miss him.” She glanced sideways at him. “I'm supposed to be cheering you up, not the other way around.”

“We can cheer each other up,” Lance said. “Why are you up here anyway?”

“Shiro was looking for you, but he had practice. The Student Council meeting ended early so I said I'd look for you.”

“Oh, right. Shiro's a great guy. Always looking out for us. Uh, I mean, like, our club. The defence club. We're lucky he's our president.”

“The club's lucky to have you too, Lance.”

“Seriously?”

“I think so,” she smiled, and Lance felt like the sun was shining on him. “Don't push yourself too hard, okay? If you overdo it, you might hurt yourself.”

“Hey, you too. And uh, you know, if you ever want to talk or something. I mean, we both miss our families, right? And uh.” Deep breath. Say something. The moment was slipping away. “Yeah. I guess we should head back down.”

I’m such a coward, he thought.

He couldn't feel too bad about it though, walking through the almost-deserted school with Allura.

“I'll text Shiro,” Lance said. “Let him know I'm going home ahead of him. Thanks for coming to find me.”

“No problem. I'll see you around, Lance.”

Lance had the oddest feeling, like he'd seen her walk away before.

  


 


	5. Dance

 

There was going to be a dance.

The morning after the flyers went up, the school was buzzing with the news. Well, most of the school was. In Lance’s little corner of the classroom, things were rather more subdued.

Not that it was Lance’s fault his friends were the sort of nerds who weren't interested.

“Sounds boring,” Pidge said, thumbing away at his game. “And the music will probably suck.”

“Do you think there will be food?” Hunk asked. “I dunno, I'm kind of not great at dancing.”

“I'm pretty good at DDR,” Pidge said.

Lance glanced at Keith for his reaction, but he’d folded his arms on his desk and was apparently catnapping.

“Guys this is important. I gotta ask Allura to the dance.”

“Why?” Hunk asked. “What makes you think she’ll say yes?”

“What makes you think she’ll say no?” Lance retorted. He hadn’t actually told anyone about his time on the rooftop with Allura. He didn’t want her to think he was starting rumours about them for a start, but mostly because he didn’t know what to say about it. What had happened up there was nice enough, but kind of ambiguous. Allura spoke to him when they met around school, but she spoke to lots of people, and part of him was kind of scared she only did it as part of her duties as student council president to make an exchange student feel welcome.

“Uh, let me see,” Pidge began. “She’s rich, popular, and at least half the senior guys are going to ask her out anyway. She can have her pick—barring Shiro—so why would she pick you?”

“Because I’m gorgeous and charming? Anyway, with so many guys asking her out, it would be like, rude not to at this point.”

“I’m sure she’d get over it.”

Lance knew he wouldn’t get another chance. He only had one year here, and even if he managed to extend his stay in Japan, Allura was a senior; she was going to graduate.

“You guys are no help at all,” Lance said. “I’m gonna ask her.”

“Good luck, buddy,” Hunk said, giving him a thumbs-up.

Lance thought he was going to need it, but he refused to be one of those guys who whined about not getting girls when they didn’t even ask any out. At least he’d had a lot of practice.

Whatever he did, he was going to have an audience. Allura was always around people and she was always the centre of attention, accompanied by friends or council-members or general hangers on, and there were going to be at least a dozen eyes on him regardless of when he approached her.

He didn’t think his usual easy-come easy-go attitude would help him this time.

He sought her out over the lunch break, knowing she’d be busy with student council matters after school. As he approached the group of senior girls she was sitting with, he was aware they were nudging each other once they'd spotted him walking up.

“Here comes another one.”

“Hello Lance,” Allura said, smiling at him.

“Hi.” Lance resolutely ignored the other girls. “Can I take you to the dance, Allura?” He’d decided to stick with something simple. “I’m guaranteed to sweep you off your feet, or you win another date.” Okay, he just couldn’t help himself.

He could tell instantly that she wasn't going to say yes.

“I’m not going with anyone to the dance,” Allura said. “But you can have _a_ dance.”

The other girls seemed surprised by this, as Allura handed him a dance card, several names already written in. There was something a little worried in her expression, and Lance moved to reassure her.

“I would be honoured.” He put his name down with a flourish, and she gave him a smile, a small, relieved one.

He was still wondering what it all meant when he realised he had nothing to wear to the dance. His school uniform was the most formal thing he’d brought with him. He could buy clothes, but if he was honest he was kind of stretching his budget as it was; all the extra travel he did as a Paladin of Voltron didn’t help either.

He went in search of Keith instead.

Keith didn’t seem to do a lot of study, but he did like going to the school library and reading science fiction novels, which is where Lance found him after school.

“Please let me borrow your gakuran for the dance,” he said, fully prepared to beg if he had to. “I don’t have anything better to wear, and none of Shiro’s clothes would fit me.”

“No kidding,” Keith said with a ghost of a smile.

“You’re not going so I figured-”

“What makes you think I’m not going?”

“Well you didn’t seem interested earlier.”

Keith frowned, and looked oddly uncomfortable. “I guess you can borrow some clothes-”

“Yes! Thank you!”

“But.” He glanced up at Lance from under his hair. “Did you ask Allura out?”

“Yeah. Of course I did. I said I would, didn’t I?”

“And she said yes?”

“Well, she promised me a dance.”

Keith nodded solemnly, rather than making fun of him like Lance expected. “How did you do it?”

“Huh? Wait. Do you want to ask someone to the dance? Are you shy?” This was gold. Under that grouchy exterior was a shy romantic, Lance was sure of it.

Keith folded his arms and scowled. “Forget it.”

“No, I cannot ignore someone who needs my help. It's my duty as the amazing guy I am to help out my friends.” Okay he normally wouldn't have called Keith a friend, but he was in a good mood, not least because Keith seemed to be listening to him at least. “You just gotta do it. It doesn’t have to be fancy or anything. You’ll be fine. I mean, you’re pretty attractive for a guy, I guess. And if you’ve not asked anyone out before she’s gonna be honoured to be the first, right?” Lance nudged him encouragingly.

“Mm. What do I say?”

“Try ‘would you like to go to the dance with me?’”

Keith took a deep breath. “Okay.”

Lance waited for more, but that seemed to be it. He felt rather cheated of an explanation, but he was getting the clothes he wanted, so he couldn’t complain.

The only thing that could spoil it now would be some attack by the forces of evil, Lance thought.

Despite his concerns, the evening of the dance was peaceful. Keith had given him his gakuran, and Lance thought he looked pretty good in it, all things considered, pairing it with dark jeans and a collared shirt.

He definitely looked less like a schoolboy. The dance was held at the gym, and the committee in charge (Lance honestly couldn't remember which one it was) had decorated it nicely.

Pidge and Hunk weren't going as they'd made other plans; something about taking apart one of Pidge's old consoles. Lance liked games, but he got a bit lost once Pidge and Hunk started talking about hardware. He wasn't that nerdy, thank goodness.

He spotted Shiro and Keith hanging about near the entrance. Lance wondered if Keith had gotten shot down, or had just chickened out.

“So did you get shot down, or did you just chicken out?” Lance asked him as he walked up.

“Looking good, Lance,” Shiro said, smiling genially. He was wearing his usual uniform, of course.

“Shut up,” Keith mumbled, glaring at him.

“Hey Shiro, looking good yourself.” He looked Keith up and down. “Are you cosplaying _Akira_?” Lance asked, gazing at Keith's red jacket. No wonder he got shot down.

Keith exhaled slowly through his nose, clearly making an effort not to start a fight. “Shouldn't you be dancing with Allura or something?”

“Is she here yet? I'm kind of like, sixth on her list. What are you guys doing?” They didn't seem interested in dancing.

Keith shrugged awkwardly. “I dunno.”

“Come on, let's ask some girls to dance. The night is young and so are we. Except for Shiro who's like, forty, right?”

“Um.” Keith's face was actually starting to match his jacket. Man, he really needed help, Lance thought. “I don't really,” he trailed off.

“I'll dance with you,” Shiro said, and Keith snapped his head up and nodded.

Shiro doesn't really count, Lance thought as they walked into the hall, but it was a start. There was no sense wasting his time on Keith tonight; at least Shiro would look after him.

And then Lance forgot all about Keith and Shiro, as the crows parted for a moment and he saw the real reason he was here tonight; Allura. She was being led around the floor by a gangly senior, swaying elegantly, her hair flowing down her back. Her dress was pink and blue, and her shoulders and arms were bare. Lance realised he was staring and he shook his head.

He could wait his turn. He was definitely a better dancer than that guy.

He proved it too; for some reason almost every girl he asked to dance said yes, and he realised he was having a great time, occasionally catching glimpses of Allura; she was hard to miss, the lights made her hair glow.

He saw Keith and Shiro only once, looking awkward, and he guessed they'd given up on the whole thing and gone somewhere else.

He was taking a break, drinking soda at the side of the room, when Allura walked up to him and he realised he'd lost track of time.

“I believe this next dance is ours,” she said.

She extended her hand and he took it, her fingers warm and smooth in his own. Finally, he thought. She was wearing heels, and was almost as tall as he was in them.

“Getting through your list?” Lance asked, wondering how many names were on it after his own by now.

“Mm.” She shrugged.

“Um, soda?” He wanted to stretch his allocated time out as much as possible. It was like, a mini-date inside a dance, right?

“Thank you.”

Oh. That actually worked. One of the committee members was in charge of the drinks and Lance turned to her and ordered 'a soda for the lady, please.'

“So, what was the deal with the dance card anyway?” Lance asked. “It's kind of old-fashioned, isn't it?”

Allura sighed and her eyes narrowed. “Because everyone was making a big deal about this dance. Like whoever I picked was automatically my boyfriend. I don't have a boyfriend, and I don't really want one because I don't have time. I've got so much to do, I barely get time for myself these days, let alone someone else.”

“I know how you feel,” Lance said. “Sorta.” Dammit, if he had a girlfriend he'd _make_ time. Somehow.

“Come on,” Allura said, putting down her empty cup. “Let's dance.”

They stepped out onto the dance floor as a new song started to play, and Lance hoped it was a long one. Hoped it lasted forever.

“You look beautiful,” Lance said.

“Looking pretty good yourself, Lance.”

He took her hand in his, and slid his other around her waist.

“Blue Paladin,” a voice reverberated in his head. He looked up, beyond the lights, to the skylights in the roof of the gym. Kaltenecker was peering through one of them, just a bovine shape in the dark, but who else was it going to be? “You're needed. Danger is approaching.”

Just fucking great.

“Are you all right, Lance?” Allura asked. “The music's started.”

He looked back at her. “I gotta, uh.” Think of something. “Pee. Too much soda. Sorry.”

He was going to barbecue that cow.

  


 


	6. P.D.A

 

“Couldn't you see I was in the middle of something important?” Lance asked, as he ran out of the gym. He'd had to abandon Allura on the dance floor and had probably lost his one shot with her.

“This is important too,” Kalteneker said, unmoved, as the looming monster trudged down the street only a block or two away from the school.

“Crap that thing's huge,” Lance said, holding his bayard up and barely feeling the transformation of his clothes he was so used to it by now. “When do the others get here?”

“I've contacted the green and yellow Paladins,” Kaltenecker said. “Black and Red have gone on patrol already and have encountered trouble elsewhere.”

“Seriously? That was their idea of a fun evening out?” Lance realised he wasn't even surprised.

The creature halted, long tentacles stretching out into the night air, and then it turned a glowing red gaze in Lance's direction. He was acutely aware the music and lights and sounds of teenagers having fun at his back would be a beacon for whatever this creature was hungry for this time.

It started moving closer, and Lance could feel the ground under his feet thumping not just with bass, but with the creature's footsteps.

“It's just me, isn't it?” he asked, and his anger drained away as he realised the difficulty of the fight ahead. He was good, he was great, if he had his friends with him. Without them, he felt very small and exposed to the creature's glowing gaze.

“Not just you, Lance.”

“Space Princess Altea!” His heart soared. They hadn't seen much of her since the training session, but her exploits were still reported on the news occasionally. And now she was here, her boots tapping on the ground as she walked up to him.

“I thought you might need some help until your friends arrive,” she said. She looked at the creature. “Ugly, isn't it?”

“Let's get it before it gets too close to the school,” Lance said.

“Good idea. Take my hand,” the Princess said, a wormhole opening behind her. “And trust me.”

Lance did as she asked and was promptly yanked through the wormhole, reappearing on the roof of a nearby building. He was almost at the monster's head height.

“I'll distract it and try and give you a clear shot,” Princess Altea said, summoning her staff and floating up into the air. Lance gave her a thumbs-up, and then put his eye to his sights.

Fifteen minutes later, they weren't making a lot of progress. The creature seemed mostly immune to Princess Altea's quintessence strikes, and to Lance's shots. All they seemed to be doing was making it angry.

Lance's shot went wild as a tentacle slammed into the roof next to him, and he ran for safer ground as the concrete crumbled and the whole building shuddered. He wouldn't have minded so much if it meant class would be cancelled the next day, but the clean-up crews used just as much magic as the defenders did, and the school would be in one piece by tomorrow morning.

Himself, maybe not so much, he thought as he flung himself flat to avoid another tentacle. He wished Pidge and Hunk would hurry up and get here.

The creature roared, and Lance knew that by now the dance would be over, and the students would have evacuated to a safer place until the danger was passed. He hoped Allura wasn’t too worried about him, although he’d rather her be worried than angry he stood her up.

No time to think about it now—jump! Lance had run out of roof to jump to, and he used his enhanced abilities as a magical defender to leap to safety, bounding down the side of the building and landing on the ground, knees bent to absorb the impact.

He looked so fucking cool when he did that.

He didn’t like being down here; he felt too much like a bug underfoot as he tried to aim at the creature’s glowing eyes. Every time he tried it simply rotated its head. The Princess wasn’t having much better luck; even with her wormholes it kept getting away from her.

Finally it got a lucky strike, swatting her out of the air. Lance couldn’t run to her fast enough to break her fall and she rolled out of the way as the beast tried to flatten her with one of its massive, elephantine feet.

“Leave her alone!” Lance yelled, firing his weapon, and the beast turned on him next, several tentacles whirling through the air towards him. He shot two of them away before the third sent him flying, and he smacked into the side of the building, luckily not hard enough to break anything.

“Ow.”

“Are you alright?” The Princess had recovered and was running towards him, dodging around the creature’s feet.

“We need a plan! I can’t hit its eyes.”

A wormhole opened up behind him and Princess Altea yanked him through just as the beast tried to flatten him against the wall.

“Thanks.” He stared at the wormhole. “So, what would happen if I fired my gun into one of those? Would it come out the other side?”

“Hm, you fire energy, not actual bullets, but I think so.”

“I’ve got a plan.”

“Oh, thank goodness. Think quick!” She raised her staff to fend off an attack.

“Open a wormhole on the other side of its head, and then get it to look away.”

“While you aim into the other end! You’re brilliant, Lance!”

“I have my moments.”

It was harder than it looked. Princess Altea had to keep the wormholes open and distract the beast, while Lance waited for its head to face the wormhole hovering behind it. She was so great, he thought.

She flew right up towards its face, dodging tentacles.

“Quintessence Strike!” she shouted, as the beast spun its head away from her, and her staff cracked against its skull.

There! Lance fired, straight into the wormhole, and a bolt of energy struck it right in its hideous face. It roared in pain, flailing wildly, and Lance kept firing, his eyes on the shots coming out of the wormhole, not on his own sights, as he judged where to aim.

The Space Princess saw her opening too, trusting that Lance wouldn’t hit her she surged upwards and struck down at the creature, her staff crackling with magical energy. With a final cry the beast fell, and Lance would have whooped with glee if it hadn’t been falling on top of him. Turning to run, he made it only a few steps before another wormhole opened and Altea leaped out of it to sweep him out of the way, carrying him like he weighed nothing at all.

“We did it!” she cried. “That was some amazing shooting, Lance.”

“You’re pretty amazing yourself,” he said, as she placed him back on his feet.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, as his smile fell from his face.

“I gotta get back. I, I kinda walked out on someone. I just hope she’s not too mad.” He heaved a sigh. “It’s not like I can explain, can I?”

The Princess smiled. “You know.” She reached up and slowly removed her mask. “You might not have to.”

Lance’s eyes widened as he took in a suddenly very familiar face. A beautiful face. A face that haunted his dreams.

“Allura?” It all made sense. How many other people did he know with such gorgeous white hair? In fact, in hindsight it was blindingly obvious. “You’re Space Princess Altea? How come I didn’t recognise you?”

She giggled. “Magic, of course.”

“Oh. Yeah. Forgot about magic.” He was grinning, dizzy with delight.

“It wasn’t quite the dance I’d planned on,” she said. “But I had a good time anyway.”

“Yeah? Me too.” His entire left side was going to be a bruise, but he could barely feel it right now. The way she was looking at him; he didn’t think anyone had ever looked at him like that before. He swallowed hard. “Can I just, um.” Gathering all his courage he leaned in and pecked her cheek.

He pulled back, but couldn’t pull away, because Allura put her hand on his arm and leaned after him, capturing his lips with her own. Something like a squeak of surprise emanated from his throat, his heart pounding like a drum as he tilted his head to kiss her back, closing his eyes, breathing in her perfume and tasting a slight sweetness on her lips.

She’d been drinking cherry soda, he remembered. It seemed like lifetimes ago.

He wrapped his arms around her, and would have stayed there all night if someone hadn’t burst into applause.

He jumped back as Pidge whistled and Hunk cheered.

“Congratulations, man!” He looked at the monstrous carcass behind them. “And for taking care of business too.”

Allura laughed softly while Lance grinned, his face feeling hot.

“I always wanted to know, are you really a space princess?” Pidge asked.

“Mhm.”

“So when your dad’s away,” Lance began.

“He’s a _long_ way away,” she said. “We should get out of here. We’re holding up the clean-up crews.”

“Right. Sorry for dragging you guys out here,” Lance said.

“Where are Shiro and Keith?” Hunk asked. “Weren’t they going to the dance as well?”

Lance neither knew nor cared. He gazed into Allura’s eyes and held her hand as they transformed back into their normal clothes. Her hand was so small, but he’d seen how much power it wielded.

“C’mon, let’s go see if there are any leftovers,” Hunk said. “Maybe we won’t have wasted our trip.”

Allura was happy to follow them, but she paused when Lance came to a halt.

“Hey, about what you said earlier. About not wanting a boyfriend.”

“I meant what I said,” she replied. “But I do like you, Lance.”

“Seriously? I mean, I like you too.”

“It’s going to be difficult,” she said.

“It’s going to be worth it,” he replied. “Guaranteed.”

“Well.” She glanced down at their interlinked hands. “It might be worth trying.”

“Paladins!” Kaltenecker interrupted them. “Red and Black need your help!”

Here we go again, Lance thought, and he wouldn't have traded it for anything.

 

 


	7. Space Cat and Celestial Rabbit

 

Some days, Lance missed fighting monsters. It was a simpler process.

“The structural integrity of the building's been compromised,” one of the fire-fighters shouted as Lance ran up. “It's too dangerous to go in!”

Lance concentrated, using the ears on his helmet to focus past the sound of the roaring flames. “I can hear people inside,” he said. “I'm going!”

No one tried to stop him.

“Good luck, Space Cat!” someone shouted, as Lance ran into the burning building. His helmet filtered out the smoke as he directed icy blasts at the flames licking at the base of the walls, but the building was too far gone to save; he just needed a safe passage.

He bounded up the stairs, the building creaking and groaning around him, as he flicked his robotic ears in search of the distressed sounds he'd picked up outside.

He kicked in a door and found a pair of kids huddling under a table and crying and coughing. When they saw him they clambered out and he scooped them up. A huge crash and blast of sparks from below told him that his exit had been cut off. They had to go up.

Lance needed one hand free to fire his gun, and he told the girl to clamber onto his back, her brother tucked against his side. He kept firing bolts of ice, freezing the walls where they looked like they were about to buckle as he pounded up the stairs.

He burst out onto the roof, feeling the heat through the soles of his boots.

“Too high up to jump,” he said, looking over the side.

“Need a hand, Space Cat?”

Someone landed lightly on the building next to them.

“Celestial Rabbit!” the girl croaked, delighted despite the smoke in her throat.

“Don't talk, darling,” the woman said, lifting the girl off Lance's back. She smiled, her eyes hidden behind her mask. “Ready?”

Lance nodded, and as one they stepped off the edge of the building as the wormhole opened in front of them, and out onto the street next to the waiting ambulances. There was a cheer as they appeared, and paramedics ran up to relieve them of their youthful burdens.

“I thought you were dealing with a robbery at the museum,” Lance muttered as he smiled and waved to the crowd watching from the barrier down the street.

“The Red Ninja arrived to help me mop up, and he had it handled so I thought I'd see how you were getting on,” she said. “Besides, I didn't want you to be late for date night.”

Lance grinned and took her hand, “When am I ever late for date night?”

“Well, remember when-”

“Okay, never mind. Thank you for coming to help. I will definitely make it up to you later,” he said, pulling her closer.

“We're in public,” she muttered, trying not to laugh as he tried to nuzzle the side of her head with his helmet.

“Space Cat! Celestial Rabbit!” The crowd was pressing against the barrier trying to get a better look at them, phones raised.

“We should go,” Lance said. “There's no one else in the building, and we're just making the crowd worse by hanging around.”

“Hey, thanks you two,” one of the paramedics told them as he walked past. “The kids'll be fine. Just some smoke inhalation.” He paused mid-stride. “If you don't mind me asking, how'd you two meet?”

“We're high school sweethearts,” Lance said, as a wormhole opened up behind him, gloved fingers wrapping around his gauntleted wrist to gently pull him through.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone thanks for reading, commenting etc. It means a lot. And thank you to the mod of Alluralance Week for organising the event; I had fun writing this ridiculous piece of fluff. Find me on [tumblr](http://mongoose-bite.tumblr.com/) if you like; I'm always happy to chat. You can read couple of my original fics on [dreamwidth](https://mongoose-bite.dreamwidth.org) too.


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